Do it scared.

It was almost two years ago when I sat across from her, a stranger. It was dark in the auditorium. People were spilling out as we leaned in, her heart and her eyes wide open.

There’s something profound about telling a stranger your story. Something freeing, giving them pieces of you, knowing that their insight and wisdom will come from God above, not a lifetime of knowing you.

I told her what I was scared of, the year ahead, the move – the changes, oh the changes. And she told me words I’ve never forgotten:

Do it scared.

I couldn’t tell you her name, but I can tell you this: her words changed my life.

Because I went home after that weekend and I would soon receive an acceptance letter, and although my future wasn’t clear I would pack my bags and heart and boxes. And I would move,

and I would do it scared.

Because bravery isn’t the absence of fear.

It’s doing it anyways.

And who knew that two years later I’d find myself in that place again, asking different questions but seeking the same answer –

How do you do it scared?

And I’m reminded: you do it by taking a deep breath, trusting God’s in the darkness, and knowing your people are jumping with you.